CAPE TOWN - The Democratic Alliance has welcomed the decision by Independent Regulatory Board of Auditors (IRBA) CEO Bernard Agulhas to extend the scope of the investigation into KPMG South Africa to include the conduct of the auditor responsible for the forensic investigation into the SARS so-called “rogue unit”.

The DA requested the investigation following a determination that the forensic audit into the SARS “rogue unit” conducted by KPMG South Africa and finalised on December 4, 2015 was signed off by a registered auditor and could therefore be investigated by the IRBA, DA spokesman David Maynier said on Sunday.

The DA had received a reply from the IRBA to the request to extend the scope of the investigation into KPMG South Africa. The reply stated: “We hereby confirm that the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors (IRBA) will be extending the scope of the investigation to include the conduct of the auditor responsible for producing the forensic SARS 'Report on Allegations of Irregularities and Misconduct'.”

Maynier said if the auditor responsible for the forensic investigation into the SARS “rogue unit” was charged and found guilty he could receive a caution or reprimand, incur a fine of up to R200,000 per charge, be suspended from practice for a specified period, or he could be removed from the register, which would effectively terminate his career in the auditing profession forever.

"We hope that given the public interest in this matter this investigation will also be fast-tracked by [the] IRBA. In the end, auditing firms such as KPMG South Africa, which allegedly not only turned a blind eye but also supplied the corporate grease to lubricate the wheels of state capture, tax evasion, and corruption, must be held to account in South Africa," Maynier said.